50 comments:

You got a lot of balls telling me how much I should tip. When I drink a tip isn't "guaranteed", some times I don't leave anything. Its entirely based on how nice the bartender is. Any boob can put gin and tonic in a glass, but I will reward them if they can do it with a smile.

Hello. I've been a pro bartender for four years now, and I totally agree with your chart. As Edward said above, any boob can put a gin an tonic in a glass, but such boob is doing it for you, and you should be thankfull, if not with money, at least with a smile and a nice word. Sometimes we apreciate those more than a couple of bucks. Cheers.

Tipping for drinks = wrong. Maybe there should be a law change in the USA allowing barmen/women to earn a decent hourly wage? If a barman had the bollocks to ask for a tip from me for opening a bottle of beer or tilting a glass under a tap I'd tell them to fuck right off. And by the way I've worked several bars, it isn't hard work and it doesn't deserve tips.

I bet you don't get good service or smiles any place you frequent... There is no way you have ever worked in any service industry. unless you're just a hot chick with big boobs, not tipping is the best way to be "not seen"at a busy bar and last served

Actually, tipping in general has been proven to be counterproductive. As a practice it actually makes a workplace less efficient, more competitive, and more full of drama. Tipping should be outlawed, absolutely, and as this anonymous person said, it would allow them a decent hourly wage for what they do, instead of being compensated only by the kindness of strangers, which does horrible things to a person's psyche, again, like our anonymous friend!

Also, feel free to tell me the best way to make a long island iced tea, Vegas bomb, etc...without checking google, then go home and make it yourself. I run a bar and if anyone comes in here, doesn't tip my waitresses or me, i tell them not to come back. It keeps out the trash and makes the place more comfortable for the good/not cheap customers.

I may not be a bartender, but I have worked as a waiter, and all I can say is that if you get good service, freaking tip. The only excuse for not tipping is if your waiter literally dangled you by your collar over a balcony for a tip...and even then, you might want to pay.

But hell, Grant just illustrated what should be common knowledge for any one that orders drinks at a bar. If you don't think bartending is hard, try pouring drinks for 50 people at once, many of which are becoming more inebriated by the minute, while trying not to lose much of your supply due to spillage in the process.

And, if you're still unappreciative toward your bartender, move to Iceland where tipping is considered insulting.

Actually, i live in Iceland and even though tipping is not a part of our culture and generally not done at all by any icelanders except maybe if you are at a very very fancy restaurant, that doesn´t mean that we consider it offensive, just suprising. In fact if you were to tip your waiter or bartender in Iceland they will probably be way more happy than waiters or bartenders anywhere where tipping is the norm since they aren´t expecting one at all. But then again we have decent and humane minimum wages so we don´t need the tips and the food and drinks are just more expensive instead to pay the servicers their salary. It´s really uncomfortable though when we go abroad since we usually forget to tip and get looked at like some cheap fucks for it.

Maybe its just that we have a different culture here in the UK, maybe its because we actually pay people in the service industry properly, but I see no need to tip for drinks. I'm reminded of the story of a friend of mine who was chased out of a bar somewhere in the US by a barman demanding a tip. My friend pointed out that all he had done was open a bottle of Budweiser and bring it to his table; no napkin, no snacks no glass, and the place was dead. How does that merit a tip?

Having lived (and drank) for several years in both the US and the UK, it's really just a matter of culture. Pay is different, service industries are operated differently, and in many cultures around the world, tipping is simply not as common as it is in America. Regardless of your personal beliefs/opinions on the subject, it's typically a good idea to go along with the cultural norm if you're visiting a different country. When in Rome, and all that...

If you think I should go home and drink maybe you should charge $1 for a beer and not $5. That extra $4? Some of it pays your wages so look to the management for more pay, not from someone who's already paying a 400% markup for a beer.

Tipping is implicit permission for employers to stiff their staff, it should be a reward for service above and beyond not an excuse for employers to pay their staff less than a living wage.you should take that chart and change it to "How much bar owners rob their staff vs staff skill level"

In America, you tip. Bartenders do not get paid a salary they could live on without tips. You don't have to tip, you also don't have to go out to a bar. If you decide to go out, you need to tip. Its just how it works. So far as the cost of the drinks, they are much cheaper if you make them at home. the cost it takes to fully stock a bar that will not run out is rather expensive, so be ready to pay 5-6 dollars a drink. Yes, its expensive. No, you don't have to go out.

If you don't tip, your service will be slower, your beers will have more head, and your drinks will be weaker...More importantly, if you don't tip you are sending a message that you are being rude. How do you avoid this situation? Just give the person behind the bar a buck per drink, every time you get a drink.

You shouldn't expect tips for bartending. That's your job... you're already getting paid to do that. If you don't like that then find another job. Chances are you're not being forced to work there. I give tips for service. If you're friendly and professional I will tip you. If you're extremely busy, you'll probably get a tip.I'm generally a good tipper. And at the bars I frequent, the bartenders know that if I'm hammered then they will probably get a huge tip.. Sometimes a tip that will match my bill. So they generally make my drinks strong.

The point is, your friendly and professional service is what earns your tips. Otherwise you're just doing your job and you already get a paycheck for that.

Wow you guys have clearly never been to a busy bar. I would dare you not to tip at a busy bar, see if you get served more than once every hour. You are tipping because they have to put up with your drunk asses. If you don't like it don't go you ungrateful bastards.

I was a bartender as a part time job to help pay for my cost of living during my undergraduate studies (I live in the United States). I have also traveled to Europe and drank in pubs in England, France, Ireland, etc. As a member of the U.S. service industry, I cannot place enough emphasis on the importance of tipping while visiting a U.S. bar. It is true that in Europe most service jobs are paid accordingly. However, in the US, the same is not customary. From personal experience, our hourly pay was 2.15 (dollars) per hour (BEFORE taxes!). In England that would be the equivalent of somewhere around 1.6 pounds (sic). This should help shed light on why U.S. bartenders care so much about their tips-> it is not by choice that we work for tips and not salary, but due to custom. In England, it is expected that people "queue" for a bus or entrance... The anger you feel when a tourist jumps in front of you (out of ignorance of etiquette)is no where near comparable to the anger a bartender feels for not being paid for his/her services. I agree with the chart to a point, however anytime a tip between 15-20% has been given i have been appreciative. And even in a crowded bar a good tip can go a long way. When foreign exchange students would frequent my bar, as is common in a university town, the entire bar staff would be upset, and frequently go home nearly broke. I guess my "moral of the story" is, either take the time to learn and respect customs, or expect to be treated accordingly. Also, if you complain about the prices of drinks or any services- they are obviously not something you should partake in. And please, PLEASE, do NOT order an especially expensive drink (IE shot of Patron tequila) unless you have the correct amount of money to tip accordingly. *** (FRENCH STUDENTS, I'm CALLING YOU OUT!)

There are too many people that work behind the bar and that don't know what they're doing at all, true. ...but Bartending *is* a skilled profession. A properly made martini black and tan is a bare minimum requirement, and a bartender that knows what to do with Angostura, how to serve Sambuca, and what each of the many many bottles are (not necessarily including wines; that's a separate job) is invaluable.

...and getting to know your bartender by name (and getting them to know you by name) is, for a regular drinker who doesn't want to keep dozens of mixers in the house and then drink them alone, extremely beneficial. I get free drinks regularly from multiple bartenders. ...and, if I can, eat at the bar for better service.

However, on a mental Saturday night in a city, a tip does go a long way. Buying two pints with a tenner (£10 for anyone not familiar with slang) and telling the barman to keep the change first time round almost guarantees early service the next time around. It's nigh on paying for service, but hey.

If I'm ordering a pint of beer or a bottle in a glass; then I'll be fucked if I'm tipping for it.

Um... since a drink costs 5 bucks and that is not how much the ingredients, in that amount, cost to make that drink; I'd say that tipping is optional, bartenders are making loads of money so ya, if you show me how a certain drink costs 15 bucks for maybe 8 oz. of beverage then i'll tip, until then, stfu

I'm sure bar owners would be happy for you to pay the $1000 or so a month it costs just to get a license to sell alcohol to you. That's where the price comes in. Feel free to hire a DJ to go to your house, buy 27 different liquors, 18 mixers, 7 sodas, etc...and have a ball charging people illegally whatever prices you want without a license at your house.

I think you mean "Bars" are making loads of money, "Bars". Bartenders in the United States get paid the hourly serving wage, which is somewhere around $2.13/ per hour (don't quote me on that). Their entire livelihood is tips. You're not tipping because of the cost of the drink you are tipping because of the service you are receiving. If a drink costs 15 dollars, and you think that price is unfair, do not order it. It is that simple.

To save every bartender some aggravation I would recommend that you refrain from drinking in bars altogether. It would be much cheaper for you to just buy a 750ml of Ten High and drink it alone while masturbating in your dirty sweatpants to the girls gone wild commercials on adult swim. Or as you call it, Tuesday.

Transferring the cost of employees wages on to customers is a terrible way to do business. Paying people just over 2 dollars an hour is shocking and causes people in the service industry to be one of the highest percentage of workers below the poverty line. The shockingly low wages are a result of decades of lobbying by big business ( National Restaurant Association http://www.restaurant.org/Home) to keep that figure desperately low so the big companies can make huge profits without paying for staff. The minimum wage for service staff has remained the same and insanely low for over 20 years. The last 'payrise' was in 1991 ! Tips become wages not a gratuity and disproportionately go to blonde women with big chests who touch their customers the most. Wages should not rely on big breasts and touching the customers. It is little more than transferring wages costs to customers combined with a guilt trip enforced by a powerful lobby group.

Here in Illinois, I believe state law is that service minimum wage is roughly half of regular min. wage. I.E. $7.50 turns into $3.75. That being said I order beer, and or whiskey on the rocks and tip roughly 15-20%. And the bar I go to loves me for it.

Tended bar for 10 years: 20% is plenty, most people don't tip that well even when service is perfect. The problem I saw more than anything was people tipping 5%-10%, when everything is excellent or going out and not even considering that the bill should be 15%-20% more than what they ordered, then realizing how much the tip should be after they have probably spent more than they should have going out to eat or just having a drink.

The amount of work put into a drink doesn't mean squat, unless you're making drinks in some crazy tourist place or the place you work specializes in drinks with 10 ingredients or more, you mostly pour beer and make high-balls. If you do work in that tourist trap or specialty restaurant or make martinis all day, you probably make more money than most for the amount of time at work you put in. And the job is easy by the way, memorizing drink ingredients is not rocket surgery.

Here is a tip, if you want more money and consistent wages, get out of the restaurant industry and get you a real job somewhere where you aren't easily replaced by 19 year olds who are just happy to have a job. You likely have skills, now just work on your motivation. People who tip poorly is part of the restaurant job, you knew when you started you'd be working for tips.

I give the bartender $5 for my first drink. If he/she understands the unspoken rule that I now expect you to come help quickly when I want more, you get another $1 per drink. If you forget me the second I walk away, that is all the tip you are getting regardless of how many drinks I order. Tipping is about service, first and foremost.

I don't give a rats ass about how many dishes my drink dirties.I don't give a rats ass about the difficulty of ingredients, that shit is built into the price of the drink already. I don't give a rats ass how busy or calm the bar is.

I would just as happily put my credit card into a drink pouring machine if it got me my drink faster than some whiny human could pour it.